Knight of the Hulk
by Steve61
Summary: David Banner takes a job at a research lab, unaware that the unethical experiments taking place there have also gained the attention of Michael Knight and KITT.


The setting orange sun cast long shadows across the streets and the people that walked along them.

He was alone in this city...today it was Phoenix. Last month it was , and before that Philadelphia.

David Benning, David Barker, David Becker.

_Anything_ but David Bruce Banner.

And David Bird of Indianapolis...what the heck was he thinking?

All previous aliases, he'd used a multitude of times when he couldn't be bothered to assume, yet another, David 'fill-in-the-name'.

He smiled to himself as he thought how he wished he had the gall (or the guts) to assume the false last name of 'Bond', just so he could introduce himself as, "Bond...David Bond."

Instead, today, this week, he was 'David Birchmount'.

The city of Phoenix went on its own way, the multitudes of citizens going about their lives, oblivious to the man who had arrived two weeks ago in the hopes of finding a cure to a wretched curse that had plagued him for years. Locked in his own little world with Sony Walkman headphones covering his ears so that he could listen to a tape of a lecture given by Doctor Lawrence , David listened intently to the genetic scientist's speech and thesis, which bore an eerie similarity to his own work when he was David Banner. hypothesized that a human could gain enormous strength and power from a controlled, but-near-lethal dose of radiation, altering the subject's metabolism to far greater lengths than any simple steroid or vitamin could ever hope.

David cringed as he saw the tell-tale signs of a scientist going in the wrong direction, as he did. Oh, he'd been successful, all right! Too successful. He'd subjected himself to a powerful dose of gamma radiation, but instead of making him stronger it unleashed a beast, a ferocious, green-skinned humanoid creature of unimaginable power and strength, but with the mind of an infant, almost an animal. His experiments had reached down into the genetic code and Time, itself, and forced him to metamorph into what was virtually a superhuman-powered caveman.

And now Doctor Lawrence was heading down the same dangerous path, although he was using neutrino radiation, and David could only guess what _that_ might do to a human being.

So involved was he with his tape, that he blocked out the sounds of a commotion and squealing tires down the street, as he came to a crosswalk. People no the other side began to step across, too, only to look frightened and take a couple steps back as a precaution. David, however, was so distracted that he only slowed his pace and kept walking. Women screamed and a man shouted something muffled but urgent, which saved David's life. He pivoted and froze in place as a dark, speeding object and a voracious gust of wind shot past him within inches of his body. Centrifugal force forced him to spin on his heel, and stagger backwards, even deeper into the lane!

David's eyes widened and a strangled gasp was caught in his throat as he realized that he was at the end of his life two seconds from now, or worse, two seconds away from turning into the Hulk again, as the form of a speeding black Trans Am headed straight for him. The shock should have triggered his transformation into the Hulk, his green-hued inner demon, but a second shock seemed to counter-act his metamorphosis.

_The car jumped over his head!_

Unbelievably, the glistening black sports car became airborne instantaneously, achieving an unheard of height of over twelve feet off the ground, apparently through the use of a rocket engine, because there was _nothing _in the street that was present that could have sent the automobile on a trajectory over his head!

Passersby all watched with shock and awe, along with David, as the Trans Am flew over his head and landed safely on the other crosswalk, which was devoid of people, and then became lost in an adjoining street as it seemingly chased the other, bigger car.

The one that nearly killed him, David realized with a shudder.

The people on the other side of the street ran over to him, and peppered him with questions of 'Are you okay?', 'Did you see that?!', and 'You're lucky to be alive!'. David yanked the headphones off his ears and shut off his Walkman, deciding to listen to the rest of the tape in the solitude and safety of his motel room.

That same Trans Am was later travelling at the regulation speed limit, closely following a huge black truck, adorned with a simple insignia- the chess piece that players would recognize as a 'knight'. The hatch unlocked and lowered to the speeding surface of Highway 10, allowing the car to speed up and ascend into the belly of the big rig, unseen by any other travellers on the road. Like a big black monster swallowing up a smaller animal, the Trans Am sports car disappeared behind the hatch which ascended and locked in place. Inside the driver shut off the ignition and spun out of the car, slamming the door with a vicious growl.

"Micheal, please! You'll shake lose my Omega Circuit with treatment like that!" the voice within the car reprimanded.

"Yea, yea, sorry, pal. It's just that- ughh! We were sooo close! We almost got her back, except that guy-"

"Michael, I saved his life," the car clarified, calmly. "You know my programming prevents me from willfully killing a human life. Even your remarkable driving skills couldn't have pressed the Turbo-Boost button time to leap over that man, since the speed we were travelling at-"

"-would have smeared him from one side of Phoenix to another," Michael Knight sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I know, I know. But it doesn't mean I have to like it, KITT! That little delay somehow gave the Cadillac a few more seconds jump on us and we lost Bonnie! How am I going to explain this to Devon?"

The Trans Am known as KITT, or Knight Industries Two Thousand, replied infuriatingly calmly, "From the beginning I should think. You did nothing wrong, Michael. And I'm 99.9996 percent certain that we will recover Bonnie, safe and sound."

It was that 0.0004 percent that worried Micheal Knight the most.

The conversation with Devon Miles, the head of the Foundation for Law and Government, or FLAG as they sometimes referred to it, was worried and not the least bit accusatory or hostile, but just as charmingly courteous and encouraging as he always was, being the refined British gentleman that he was born. Of course, it helped that he was back at their mansion Headquarters in California, and not in the thick of things, as Michael and KITT were.

"I _told _you she wasn't an operative, though, Devon! Not like KITT and me, and now look! Her cover is blown and they know we're looking for her!" Michael growled, his face displayed on a video monitor back at the Foundation in Devon's office.

"Yes, but considering the business that the Maxima Research Institute is conducting, you were hardly the likely candidate to infiltrate them and get a closer look at their research, Michael. Nobody working there has less than several nor I.Q.'s under 150! At least Bonnie's computer skills were a match for our needs...until they somehow, inexplicably began to suspect her-"

"-and grab her in the Institute parking lot, throw her in a Caddy and try to make off with her God knows where!" Michael finished. "The only saving grace is I got a glimpse of the driver and could probably point him out in a line-up. Average build, dark hair, high forehead. If I see that dude he'll have a couple of black eyes before he finishes confessing!"

"I'd appreciate a little restraint on your part, Michael," the Brit scolded, his face falling. "You have a penchant for getting into fisticuffs with all manner of criminals, and some of them can afford expensive and persuasive lawyers that can keep them out of prison or talk judges into sentencing lesser time for them."

"I'll...try!" Michael moaned, rolling his eyes.

"Miracles can happen," KITT commented, dryly.

If Michael and Devon suspected the Maxima Research Institute of some, unknown heinous crimes, David Birchmount was completely oblivious to it.

David had used false identification and credentials to get a job as a mere laboratory assistant, hiding his own great intellect and experience from the Institute's leader, Doctor , as well as the other junior assistant that worked with them, a recent college grad by the name of Neil Collins, who followed around like a puppy dog, eager to learn all that was learnable from the genius. David was eager to learn, too, but for a different reason.

There would be no tragic accident taking place here if he had anything to say about it- just the irradication of his ability to turn into the hulking creature.

Lab tests had confirmed that was right on several accounts, but the proper dosage for a human subject was still something that they could only guess at. Too small a dosage and nothing would happen- or perhaps the subject would develop cancer in several years. Too high a dosage, and the subject would die on the projector table. David was just glad that wasn't willing to risk a test subject until his theories and data were unmistakably 100 percent correct.

Collins brought his paperwork over to David for him to look over. The curly-haired young man with the old-fashioned plastic-framed glasses of a man 30 years older than him, sighed and rubbed his eyes, as he moaned,

"Not enough K-factor, David. Nowhere nearly enough."  
>Birchmount was secretly pleased- the further away was from replicating his research, the better it would be for everyone! The world was too small for<em> two <em>incredible Hulks! He checked the readings and tried to juxtapose them with his own mega dose of gamma radiation. Back then, it took 1,700,000 gamma units of radiation to interact with his unique body chemistry to alter it to the point that his powerful, raging inner green demon could be released.

This low neutrino radiation level would release a green fart before it turned another person into a Hulk-like creature.

David shrugged his shoulders and replied, "He's not going to like this."  
>Collins held his hands up and backed away a couple steps. "Heyheyhey! I'm the bearer of bad tidings, not the <em>cause! <em>I hope he doesn't blame me for this?"

David smiled as a memory triggered it and he answered, "Just don't spill your chocolate milk into his computer keyboard like you did last week and everything will be fine! I really think he likes you- sees you as a protege."  
>"Really?!" Collins grinned from ear to ear, his mind swelling with pride.<p>

"Cross my heart," David smiled, waving a hand across his chest. , had, in fact, alluded to such a feeling for 'The Kid'.

"Cool!" Collins chuckled, but then reality sunk in, and his face fell. "But we've got to get results soon! We can't just keep shooting in the dark like the way we are! Actually, I haven't seen the Doctor all day. I wonder where he is?"

_'I wonder where I am?'_ Bonnie thought to herself, as she struggled to remain calm. An overhead light shone brilliant light directly down upon her, and blocked out the majority of the detail beyond the light stream, but she guessed a warehouse of some kind. It was cool inside here, metallic, like the hollowed-out, abandoned barn her grandfather had on his farm in Kansas. She'd had good memories growing up near there and visiting him with her three sisters, but this place was a far cry from her grandfather's barn in rural Kansas.

Footsteps echoed in the nearly-empty warehouse, and judging by their sound there were at least three of them. Shapes that looked like men appeared at the perimeter, but only one entered the circle of light- Doctor Lawrence .

"Doctor ?" Bonnie exclaimed, bringing forth her junior high acting skills. "What's going on here? Why're you doing this to me? What've I ever-"

"I should think it obvious, ," the refined gentleman replied, his salt and pepper slicked-back hair creating a halo around his scalp. "It_ is_ , isn't it? Bonnie Barstow?"

She shook her head, trying her best to look confused. "I'm Karen Carter, who's-?"  
>"Plleease," growled, rubbing the bridge of his nose as if suddenly falling victim to a painful headache, "do not insult my intelligence. I have resources. I have access. It was simplicity itself to find out that you are Bonnie Barstow, an operative of the law enforcement organization known as F.L.A.G. You really should have been more careful with your computer hacking, madam. Quite clumsy of you to fall into my numerous computer traps and signals. Even more foolish of you to access the data on my experiments, discovering more than even my assistants know, and I've managed to keep them in the dark, despite being my right-hand men."<br>Bonnie knew it was useless to dispute her captor, so she asked, "What could all that data and research possibly do for you, anyway? It's also scientifically impossible! Virtually science fiction! You'll kill a person subjected to that much radiation!"  
>"Will I? Or will that person become a counterpart of the Hulk?"<p>

"The..._what?_" Bonnie asked, shaking her head.

"Come now, young lady, you don't shield yourself in that Foundation mansion to the exclusion of shutting off what's happening in the world, do you? The Hulk is the single-most power creature on the surface of this planet, and I plan to replicate that power. And as you can see by the research files you underhandedly accessed, I'm very close to doing so!"

"Close to killing anyone foolish enough to be a guinea pig!"  
>frowned and leaned in uncomfortably close to whisper in her ear. "Don't be so abrasive, my dear. My test subject is supposed to be a male...but I would just as likely test my theory out on a <em>female <em>subject!"

Bonnie shivered from dread despite herself and silently prayed that Michael and KITT would soon smash through those walls beyond and rescue her.

The next day, as Phoenix woke up and went to work, Michael Knight staked out the Institute near the main entrance for any sign of the elusive .Clair or anyone else of interest, while KITT was parked in the visitor's parking lot, also using his scanners to observe. Michael knew he stood out amongst these egg-heads- none wore a black leather jacket like him, or were even remotely near his youthful age. He watched as several balding, eyeglass-wearing, moustached scientists and employees passed by him, giving him momentary, curious looks before entering, until a face in a crowd set off alarm signals in his head. He raised his watch/transmitter to his mouth and quickly murmured,

"KITT! I've spotted our driver!"

"Are you sure, Michael? I never scanned his facial features, and you only obtained a momentary glimpse of him," the computerised car replied.

"I'm sure of it, buddy! Dark hair, early forties, big forehead. I'm moving in."  
>"Be careful, Michael."<p>

"No problem."

Michael had to restrain his temper to the point that he didn't cause an incident, but it didn't stop him from bumping into his target.

"Oh! Pardon me!" the smaller man replied, embarrassed He tried to step aside, but Michael blocked him again. He met Michael's eyes and felt a shiver of intimidation run down his back. "Is there something wrong?"

"You bet there is, pal! Maybe you can tell me where you were just 12 hours ago?"  
>His target frowned and crossed his arms, defiantly. "And why would I do that? Just who are you supposed to be?"<p>

His evasive attitude screamed that he was guilty, as far as Knight was concerned. "I can be your worst nightmare, mister! I know what you did last night, and I'll give you credit for getting away from me, but now I know where you work and I won't stop until I get my friend back! You got that?" he finished, giving the smaller man a poke in the chest.

"Look, Mister-?"  
>"Knight."<p>

" , I have no idea who you are, or what your problem is with me. Obviously there's been a case of mistaken identity here. My name is David Birchmount, and we've never met before."

Michael stood uncomfortably close to David, and towering over him by several inches poked him in the chest several times again to make his point. "Listen, man, (poke) I'm gonna be on you (poke) like a second skin! if anything happens to my friend (poke-poke), Bonnie, I'm gonna-"

David's temper flared and he smacked away Michael's hand, and snapped, " ...don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry!"

Michael smirked momentarily at the shorter man's bravado, but returned the frown to his face to warn him, "Yea, well, this is_ me_ angry...how do you like me now? And trust me, you don't want to see me even angrier, pal!"

David drew in a few calming breaths and cleared his mind to avoid changing right in front of the brusque young man. He'd dealt with dozens of bullies before, and some of them wound up with concussions, or worse, courtesy of the Hulk.

"You're on private property, , and you haven't the right to make threats to complete strangers. You'd do better to get your information right next time!"

Knight watched as the smaller man simply stormed off, his ego slightly bruised by his not-so effective aggression, but he knew he'd, at least, made his point.

And he had a name; David Birchmount.

He returned to KITT, instructing him to scan all known records for one 'David Birchnmount'.

David's day was filled with research and combing over loads of data that had been working on, data that Collins was trying to understand, and his own secret data research as he tried to hide his own investigation into 's techniques, and what he hoped might be a cure to the Hulk. Specifically, he was hopeful that a sufficient dose of neutrino radiation from 's equipment could counteract the gamma radiation in his bloodstream, which was the source of his hulk-transformation.

He rubbed his eyes and let out an involuntary moan that Collins noticed as he was walking by. "Late night, David?"

David shook his head and forced a smile and energy. "No, just forgot my computer password- again!"

"Oh! Here, let me!"

Before he could protest, Collin's four-digit number was scrolling across the box and David was in new territory, with unfamiliar data he hadn't yet accessed before. He was about to chide his assistant for his help, but he let it go and got to work after thanking the younger man.

The other scientist's code number must have been magic since David now found himself in restricted territory, and increasingly disturbing data. had been giving them both the impression that he was far from success, perhaps as much as 6 months, but from what David could tell, he was weeks or even days from his answers...

...answers that had led the late David Banner into a green-skinned hell.

In his office while working on his correspondence a warning 'bleep' emanated from his computer, and Doctor Lawrence was immediately thrown into the elicit investigation. His eyes widened as he saw that his secret files, files that only he should have access to, let alone understand, were being examined...and copied! This was outrageous! As angry as he'd ever been in his life, jabbed his fingers across his keyboard to track down the intruder, and was nearly ready to break a blood vessel in his head as he recognized the computer access code number '1701'.

The very number that he, himself, had assigned young Neil Collins!

Collins was accessing some very dangerous, and very secret information that he had no business looking at! Then it occurred to him that only one person could possibly be so interested in such data- the man that _The National Register_ tabloid believed could change into that hulking green behemoth!  
>Neil Collins was the Hulk?<p>

He would have to deal with this personally. He reached over to his intercom and buzzed his secretary. "Catherine, I'll need Neil Collins's home address as soon as possible."

Later that night, after a lot of arm twisting David had accepted a free dinner at Collins's apartment, courtesy of 'the best Chinese take-out in all of Phoenix'. They were going over their notes of the day when the door was assaulted by a heavy pounding that could never be mistaken for a 'knock-knock-knock.'

"Geez, I think Tommy is using steroids with a knock like that!" Collins joked as he got up to answer the door.

The second his chain rattled loose from it's hook, and he turned the knob, his apartment door was blown open by two large, masked figures wearing stockings that distorted their features. Collins let out a shocked yelp, which prompted David to jump out of his chair and shout out a warning,

"HEY! GET OUTTA HERE! STOP THAT!"

The two thugs just chuckled behind their sheer masks, one of them stomping towards David, laying a meaty hand on his face and shoving him hard enough to send him flying over the nearby couch. Collins struggled with his own intruder, but the kid was a scientist not a wrestler, and soon found himself face-first on his floor, his arms held behind his back so that the thug could restrain him with handcuffs. David shook off the disorientation of his fall, and saw the intruder carefully remove a hypodermic needle.

"NO! DON'T-!" he shouted when the second thug took him by the collar and growled out,

"Gettin' tired of yer yellin', pal!"

With a running start, the thug tossed David out the front door with all his might, sending the helpless smaller man tumbling out into the hallway. He gasped in pain and dizziness, fighting to keep his self control as he regained his footing. Unfortunately, David wasn't fully aware of his surroundings, and his foot slipped on the edge of the staircase, sending him tumbling down two flights of stairs end over end, each stair edge hitting and bruising his body like a championship boxer. He landed in a heap at the bottom and lost all control.

Outraged by the assault, fearful of what was going to happen to Collins, and writhing in agony from his own injuries, David felt the tell-tale signs of metamorphosis overtake his mind and body. He felt a strange warmth and tingling, a ferocious energy from his heart that spread out to his limbs and brain, and then the pain of his bones and muscles changing, stretching, becoming heavier. He clenched his fists and teeth and vainly climbed onto his hands and knees, the white heat of his gamma-irradiated transformation finally blinding him to his view of the floor as his inner demon took over, and his intellect fell aside like so much dust, even as he heard his shirt and pants beginning to tear.

Seconds later, what climbed to his feet was no longer David Birchmount, but the incredible Hulk, the angry green giant that lurked in the deepest, darkest part of his soul. The green Goliath stood at his full height of over seven feet, and clenched and unclenched his fists as his primitive mind fought to understand what had just happened, and why he was in this new place. A part of him seemed to recall feeling tired as he sat down in a park at night, somewhere near a water fountain, but now he was here.

Then he recalled a memory, not his, but that of David Birchmount.

A shove, pain, a toss, pain, a fall, much pain.

The Hulk did not like pain.

The Hulk would give pain to the one that had hurt him.

He heard voices up stairs and slowly climbed them, getting angrier by the second.

"Okay, he's knocked out. The Doctor's sedative worked," one of the intruders told the other. He hefted the unconscious Neil Collins over his shoulder and mumbled, "His friend probably has a broken neck from that fall!"

"Yea, well, we're only here to keep this guy safe, so who the hell cares about-"  
>The thug stopped in mid-sentence as a green giant blocked their exit from the apartment. Both men gasped, the one carrying Collins shouting an instruction to close the door, which his friend did. Even as he was bolting the door, a massive fist and forearm smashed through the solid wood, shattering the very fiber of the door, and making the two intruders shake in fear. The door was then blown off its hinges as the Hulk smashed his way in, his face a vicious, angry grimace of intimidation, while his feral growling warned of an animalistic threat that both men took very seriously.<p>

The one holding Collins shoved his friend towards the Hulk, who easily caught him,lifted him with one hand by the jacket above his head and roared out an unintelligible threat. Seeing that the green intruder was ignoring him, the man with Collins dashed out and down the stairs, as his fellow thug felt the wrath of the Hulk in the form of a titanic throw, sending him flying across the living room, over the couch, and into the dining room over sixteen feet away, to smash across the wall, taking down a family portrait that hung on the wall.

The Hulk roared victorious, daring the thug to try anything, but the man was knocked unconscious. Then his animalistic mind, and his predatory sense of smell, reminded him that there was a second small man in the room just now, and he was carrying an even smaller man, one who meant nobody any harm. The Hulk dashed out of the apartment, and could hear rapid footsteps racing down the steps. With a leap, the Hulk jumped down the first flight of stairs that Birchmount had fallen down, and then the second, then the third...

"This is the apartment, Michael. 2120 Midland Avenue," KITT revealed, as he and his driver/owner approached from the main street.

"Yep. And hopefully one of 's lackeys is home tonight. I didn't get too far with that one I spoke to this morning."

As they approached they saw a figure carrying another out of the front door, and unceremoniously throw him into a waiting van. Knight's former police officer senses were set on red alert instantly, as he observed the van burn rubber, and speed away from Collins's apartment.

"KITT! What's going on there?"

The flashing front sensor light of the fantastic case swung side to side as he scanned the human forms and reported, "There are three figures inside that van, Michael, one of them with slowed bodily functions, possibly drugged. And judging by the speed of that vehicle-"

"-it must be a getaway car from a crime!" Knight finished. "I'll get the- _what the heck?!"_

Michael was about to give his car instructions to pursue, until a new figure appeared at the door, and he was massive.

And angry!

If he was supposed to hitch a ride in that van, then his obvious anger was understandable! Michael slammed on the brakes, and held his position, squinting in the evening light, even as the Hulk stared back at him, his massive fists clenched into powerful, intimidating fists of rage.

"KITT! Is that guy..._green?_ Or am I seeing things?"

KITT began to scan the huge man, but he bolted away down the road and into the bushes before a decent sensor scan could be completed. A commotion erupted as tenants of the apartment came running out, several voices mingling and mixing with each other. Michael got out of his car and looked on helplessly as he heard them say,

"Poor Collins! He never hurt anybody!"

"Why'd anybody do that to poor Neil?! He's a good boy!"  
>"Who was that other guy?!"<br>"The guy carrying him?"  
>"No! The guy that broke the door down!"<p>

Between the voices of the small people trailing behind him, and the speed of the vehicle that captured Collins, the Hulk was unsure what to do or where to run. Without an obvious target before him, his analytical skills were practically nonexistent. He jogged through the parkland at night, a vague memory of doing the same thing entering his Neanderthal-like mind. A memory that told him he'd be safe here, and there were no enemies or bad little men to hurt him around here. He found a suitable park bench to sit down upon to rest, and lowered himself down onto it.

"HEY! Whadtha-?!" a grumpy, old voice creaked from beneath him.

The Hulk stood up quickly, unsure if the tiny man (?) was a threat to him or not. Instead, he simply watched as the scruffy old guy looked back up at him, looked at his half-full bottle of _White Lightning_, and tossed it away.

"Gonna stop drinkin'...in the mornin'!" he grumbled, and pulled his trench coat up around his collar and lowered his head on his beat-up old hat to try and fall asleep again.

The Hulk just looked down at the grumpy old man, judged that there was just enough room to sit on the edge of the bench, and cautiously lowered himself into it, watching the shadowed face of the old man, lest he bark at him again. He was so tired, as tired as he ever felt before, and seemed to recognize that warm, dull feeling throughout his body. It wasn't painful, it wasn't scary, so the Hulk allowed the familiar dizziness to overwhelm him and relax him.

Anyone watching him from the sidelines would have been astonished as the Hulk seemed to emanate a faint green glow, as his hair seemed to get shorter, his muscles seemed to dwindle to normal size and his thick brow lost its caveman-like appearance and receded until a normal modern-day brow returned, even as the green skin faded to become the usual pink of David.

His eyes were always the last to lose their green glow, which usually brought back his own mind and senses. He shivered in the night air and looked around. He was in a park, shirtless as usual, and sitting on a bench...but he wasn't alone. He leaped up as he noticed a scraggly, homeless gentleman laying on the bench and was fearful that the Hulk had squashed him or hurt him, but the old man merely snorted in a light sleep, mumbling,

"Yes, I'll have that doggy in the window...zzzzz..."

David had been in Phoenix long enough to recognize Brimley Park, which was pretty close to Neil Collins apartment...Collins! The intruders! What had happened to his co-worker?! They'd obviously wanted him, but why?!

"Why, indeed, Neil," smirked down at his captive as he circled him.

The groggy young scientist struggled against his bindings, and felt dread a he realized he was in 's neutrino radiation chair- underneath equipment that shouldn't be functional yet, but judging by the humming and bleeping of the panels, was alive and well- and the emitter was aimed right for him!

"I don't understand, Doctor! If I'd-"

"You were snooping!" shouted, shoving his face into Collins's. "I saw your unscheduled, unlawful entry into _my_ files! You've now seen too much! And the only person who would have the unmitigated nerve to examine them and understand them would be the individual that turns himself into the Hulk!"  
>"I never looked at-!" Collins' began to say, until gave him a smack in the face.<p>

"_LIAR! _I saw your password used to enter my restricted files! Computers don't lie!"

Collins immediately knew that it had been David, not him, that had accessed the restricted files, back when he'd inadvertently given David his password. Had David intentionally used him to sneak around? What was he up to?  
>"Look, Doctor, you've got it all wrong! I gave- <em>AAAHHH!"<em>

Collins began to explain as the emitter was turned on, until he felt a painful stream of neutrino radiation bath his face and chest. Any ideas of explaining the truth were immediately forgotten as Collins felt pain like none he'd ever had before- pain that might be lethal if it wasn't stopped now! He tried to form words and pleas for mercy but they were lost in his screams as radiation that was lethal to every living thing bathed his every cell.

Over the rumbling neutrino machine and his victim's cries, said, "What's the matter, Collins? Why aren't you changing? Surely the neutrino beam isn't inhibiting your gamma ray alteration?"

Collins found that he'd lost the power of speech or any sounds as the bright light of the machine robbed him of his consciousness. watched him with expectation, certain that the young man was either faking unconsciousness or about to change into that green monstrosity, but he just laid there. The scientist shut down his device and watched as his young assistant displayed a faint pale blue glow before it died away like so much steam.

Collins wasn't moving.

cautiously approached him, but by the bleached-out pale color of the young scientist's skin, he already knew what had happened. Either he'd miscalculated something or...he'd just made an even more tragic blunder. He lifted one eyelid of the still assistant, and pressed a couple fingers against the man's neck, but found no pulse. He backed away, his mind racing, then called in his two 'operatives'.

They were curious about the high-tech equipment they found in the room, but were attentive as spoke to them. "I'm going to need you two gentlemen to perform...another task. Discreetly."

The driver of the getaway van looked at Collins's body and knew the answer immediately. "I have connections. We can dispose of the body easily enough. For an additional payment, of course."

"Of course," said, sourly, disgusted that he had to deal with such criminal underlings. He shook his head, and said absent-mindedly, "I was certain he would change."

"Huh?" the big man grunted.

"Transform. Metamorphosize. Become that big green thing _The National Register_ has christened 'The Hulk'."

"Whataminute! You thought _this guy_ would become that big green dude?!"

"Yes, what of it?"

"Mister...the Hulk showed up outta nowhere! _To save this guy!"_

A shiver ran down 's spine. "Do you mean to tell me...? That Collins wasn't...? And he might have known the real identity of the Hulk is..?" He pinched his nose again as a migraine ruptured within his brilliant, twisted mind, and moaned, "You might have had the decency to tell me that _before I..._just so _this _could have been avoided, you fool!"

"Hey! Ya didn't ask!" the brute complained.

The crowd had thinned out in front of Collins's apartment bulding, but there were enough people around to create enough of a diversion for David to slip in behind them, and hightail it back up to Neil's apartment. He recalled the two masked men barging in and attacking him and the younger scientist, but after the fall down the stairs his mind was a blank- and obviously buried within the primitive mind of the Hulk. His heart sank as he found Neil's apartment door bashed in, and the furniture slightly disorganized. Neil Collins was nowhere to be found.

He hated to scavenge through the young man's closet, but he had little choice. His jeans were ripped up the side and his own shirt was long gone, not to mention his shoes. Promising himself to return Collins' clothing to him the first chance he had, he yanked a shirt from a hanger and laced up some running shoes that were two sizes too big for him, but at least he wasn't barefoot. He was about to reach for the telephone and call the police, but stopped himself.

This was always the predicament he faced. He was living under, yet another, assumed name, but he'd also changed into the Hulk. Having the authorities snoop around and put two and two together was always a risk he was usually unwilling to take. But how else was he supposed to help his friend and co-worker? And where a report of the Hulk went, so too did an imminent visit by reporter Jack McGee, who was hellbent on finding the Hulk and the man that turned into him.

"Well well well. What do we have here?" a voice asked behind him.

David spun around and came face to face with Michael Knight standing in the doorway.

Bonnie wasn't expecting a visitor this late, let alone her former boss, but she welcomed the plate of food he had brought her. She was still locked in the warehouse, but at least she wasn't tied to a chair. Instead, she was under lock and key inside a very small office with only a desk and a chair. And despite the offer of food, didn't look too happy.

"I'm not hungry!" she said defiantly, even as her tummy gurgled audibly for both to hear.

smirked momentarily, and placed the sandwich and water on the desk, his foul mood returning. "I don't expect an honest answer, young lady, but I'm going to try anyhow. Did you come here spying on me with the aid of an accomplice?" Bonnie wasn't about to say a word about Michael or KITT, so she just stared back at him. His irritation seemed to magnify and he snapped, "It's very important, , so just tell me!" When she crossed her arms and smirked at him, he grabbed her by the arms and shook her with rage. "Don't make me angry, ! I have a rather pronounced bad temper when provoked, and I'm in no mood to waste any more time with you than is necessary! Now...did...you...have...an accomplice?"

Bonnie had a flashback to her own childhood and her violent father, and couldn't help but shake her head, almost seeing Brian Barstow in Lawrence 's eyes.

"No. I was sent here on my own."

"Really? You had no connection, whatsoever, to a man called 'Neil Collins'?"

Bonnie replied, "No. I met him once or twice, but wasn't sure how much I could trust him, or the other man, Birchmouint. I've never met either man before I came here."

nodded and released the young woman, forcing down his anger. "Very well. Simple enough question, wasn't it?"

The Doctor left her once more, after locking the door again, barely able to hold back his temper.

Collins was dead, and Barstow was supposedly working alone.

That meant that the only other person left on his list, David Birchmount, was the one that saw the secret files.

The question was...was he another government operative like Barstow, perhaps FBI, CIA, or IMF...or was he the gamma-irradiated man he had sought out all this time?

"I-I know what this looks like-" David began lamely, only to have Knight cut him off.

"Oh, it looks like a lotta things, mister, and all of 'em are bad. Kinda dumb for you to return to the scene of the crime so soon. What kinda evidence were you trying to cover up?"  
>"Evidence of what?" David wondered.<p>

"C'mon, man! First I see you drive off with my friend, and then I see you outside the Maxima Institute, and now you're in here, in the apartment of one of the scientist guys."  
>"His name is Neil Collins," David said, sternly. "And he was kidnapped by someone else. And for the record, I never 'drove off' with your friend, as I keep telling you! I have no idea what you're talking about!"<br>"I _saw_ you grab Bonnie and throw her into that Cadillac! I chased you down but I got delayed when I had to avoid a-" Michael said, as he recalled another memory which didn't jive with the truth as he knew it. He looked David in the face closer, and began to think he'd made a dumb mistake. Raising his wristwatch to his face he spoke into it. "KITT, patch in your visual records into my wristwatch camera."  
>"Very well, Michael."<p>

David watched as Knight seemed to want to show him his fancy digital wristwatch, until he told the person on the end of the line, "Okay, buddy- scan this man's face and cross-reference it with whatever visual records we have of Bonnie's kidnapping."  
>"What in the world are you...?" David began, only to be shushed by Michael.<p>

KITT reported, "Michael, I have your answer. The gentleman before you matches exactly that of the man I was forced to turbo-boost over."  
>Knight lowered his arm and groaned aloud. "Ooooh, maaaan! And as a guy in the street, he's obviously not the driver or kidnapper, right?"<br>"Obviously," the computerized car replied. "What is he doing in that apartment?"  
>"I'll find out. Thanks, pal. Okay. Sorry, mister. I guess my few seconds of seeing my friend kidnapped by a guy with dark hair and high forehead somehow got messed up with my memory of almost running over you and...geez. What a dumb mistake."<br>"That's okay. Are you the police?" David asked, fearful that they'd tracked him down at last.

"Nope. Work for the Foundation. Kind of a subsidiary branch of the law. Couple levels above private investigator. Seems you and I are on the same side."

"If you want to find Neil Collins then we are."  
>"Bonnie was kidnapped and so was Collins. And both were working at the Institute."<br>"What's so special about the Institute?" David asked. "What brought you and your people there?"  
>"Doctor Lawrence . Seems he's been doing all kinds of unethical experiments and the government wants to know exactly what kind and with who."<br>"I...think I might be able to help," David offered.

"I was hoping you'd say that. Let's get outta here. I'm parked downstairs and we can cross-reference our information with whatever KITT knows."  
>"'Kitt'? He's your partner?"<br>Michael patted him oo the back and led him out of the apartment. "Something like that!"

David sat down into the passenger seat of KITT and couldn't help but pause at the expanse of futuristic controls, indicators, and mini TV screens adorning KITT's dashboard. He commented with wide-eyed interest,

"This looks like Darth Vader's bathroom!"

Michael stared, open-mouthed at his passenger and exclaimed, "That's exactly what I said the first time I saw all this equipment!"

David smiled, but returned to the serious problem of Collin's kidnapping. "There were two men that broke in, but unfortunately I can't give you a description of either of them, other than they were big and muscular. They wore masks over their faces."

Michael's eyebrow went up a notch. "Did either of one them look...green?"

David feigned ignorance and replied with a forced smirk, "I beg your pardon?!"

Knight waved off the comment. "Ferget it. Probably a trick of the light. KITT and I saw a real big guy, and he...never mind."  
>"Okay. So who's 'Bonnie'?"<p>

"She works with the Foundation with us, and infiltrated the Institute under the name of 'Karen Carter'.. Unfortunately, her cover must have been blown just as KITT and I were just entering the Instituter's parking lot when we saw her struggling outside and thrown into a Cadillac. A Cadillac that nearly ran you over."

"Not to mention you, too," David added, dryly. "Pretty impressive jump- how'd you manage that without a ramp?"  
>"Doesn't really matter, David. Right now we've got to get into the Institute and find Bonnie and your friend, Collins."<p>

David checked his watch and shook his head. "It's closed. There'd only be a few cleaning staff there."

"Perfect!"

"Uh-uh," David said, shaking his head. " 's rules were pretty explicit about anyone working late without permission. I'm sure I can get you in with a visitor's pass first thing tomorrow morning."  
>"But what about Bonnie?" Knight grumbled.<p>

"If we go buzzing about there after hours, we'll just endanger both. And there's no way to know where, in all those offices and levels, either one is being held, if at all. They could be locked up miles from there."

"Okay. Just the same, KITT and I are gonna make a reconnaissance drive around the perimeter and get a good idea of the grounds. We might just need to bid a hasty retreat at some point."

"I can only manage a visitor pass for you- do you mean will be driving your car?"

Again, Michael smiled and replied, "Something like that. In the meantime, since you're a witness to Collins's kidnapping I think I oughta put you up in a hotel for safety. At the Foundation's cost, of course"

David didn't mind that idea at all, since he didn't trust those intruders to not show up at his own apartment, unannounced.

He just hoped he wasn't making a mistake trusting Michael Knight and .

The next morning, Michael pulled up to the Institute and parked KITT in visitor's parking. Adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses in his rear view mirror, he asked his car, "So, buddy? How do I look?"

"You want an honest opinion?" KITT asked, sounding ominously blunt.

"Lay it on me."

"You could be Jerry Lewis's brother from _'The Nutty Professor'."  
><em>Michael frowned and smiled at the same time. "I'll take that as a compliment! I think Jerry Lewis is hilarious!"

He left KITT in the parking lot, with instructions to keep his scanners pealed.

David was waiting, coincidentally, near the area outside the building that he'd first met Knight, when the young man had mistaken him for the getaway driver. He was nervous about coming to work today, as he wasn't completely sure that was a bad person or even behind the kidnappings. His main reason for coming back was that he needed to do a little more research into the Doctor's equipment to know if it could be used to counteract his gamma radiation-induced change into the Hulk. If it was, then he'd leave as soon as possible, once he confirmed Neil Collins was safe.

He turned around and stared, open mouthed at the spectacle before him. He recognized Michael Knight...despite the silly costume he wore, pretending to be a scientist. He wore thick horn-rimmed glasses, and small fake moustache, and wore a long white lab coat with at least nine or ten pens in his upper pocket, and finished off the 'ensemble' with a clipboard and some science books.

"What...are you doing?" David hissed.

Michael's smile abruptly left him as he re-ran his plan in his head, but was sure that this was where they agreed to meet. "What?" he asked, dumbfounded.

David grabbed his clipboard and held out his hand. "The silly lab coat. Hand it over. You look like a complete...charicature! Just what kind of secret agent are you? Don't draw attention to yourself like that!"

"I thought my disguise was pretty good!" Michael frowned, who at least had had the smarts to wear a tacky sport jacket under the lab coat, instead of his leather jacket. Too bad it was gaudy and checkered, like something from the Jack McGee Collection.

"A visitor wouldn't show up in his own lab coat!" David berated, tossing the coat and clipboard in a nearby trashcan, then tilted his head towards the entrance as they started walking. "Now, just let me do the talking. And please don't try any funny foreign accents!"

"Hey, chill out, man! It's not as if I was gonna fake a French accent!"

"Good!"  
>David opened the door for him and Michael paused, grinning, "But I got a cool German accent if need be!"<p>

David sighed, and pushed Michael inside the large reception area.

The bald security guard, who suspiciously looked like Arthur Carlson from _'WKRP In Cinncinnati'_, didn't give David or Michael a second look, seemingly more interested in his well-worn copy of _'Catcher In The Rye'_ than doing his job properly. From there it was quite easy to sneak Michael all the way into the section that David and Collins called 'work'.

"What should I do if we see Doctor ?" David whispered.

"I was hoping _you'd_ tell _me_ that little plan!" Knight mumbled back, putting his head down slightly to adjust his fake glasses as a scientist walked by.

"Terrific," David moaned, thinking this was a big mistake ready to explode into a gargantuan mistake. "In that case, just keep walking and I'll distract him by having a few words with him. We haven't ascertained his guilt or involvement yet."

They were lucky enough not to meet up with the aforementioned scientist, but they did turn a corner and walk straight into a lovely redhead that Michael was immediately smitten by, even if she had similar real eyeglasses to his phony ones.

"Oh, hello, Doctor Birchmount. I was coming by to tell you that my report on the amino acid resolution tests are nearly complete."  
>"Oh. Thank you, Elizabeth. Good work."<br>Before either could move a muscle, she'd already side-stepped David to stare up into Michael's handsome face. "And who have we here? Someone new on your team, I hope?"  
>"Actually, he's-"<p>

"Auf weidersen, mademoiselle!" Michael smiled, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "Allow me to introduce myself-"  
>" -lee," David stuttered. " ...I thought I'd already advised you that I would do the...introductions. Like a good host."<p>

"Oh, yea, right. By all means. Doctor."

David's mind raced and he said, "Elizabeth Summers is a grad student working at the Institute. This is Doctor Nighly from Canada. Toronto, actually. He's quite new to our branch of research and I've been assigned to escort him around and give him an idea of what we work on here at the Institute."  
>"How wonderful! My sister lives in Toronto!"<br>"Lovely city!" Michael beamed, nodding. "One of the best!"

"Oh, yes!"  
>"Never been there."<p>

"Oh," she replied, her face falling. "But Doctor Birchmount just said-?"  
>"What I mean is that's the place of my birth, but my family moved about quite alot growing up. I've had roots in France, Germany-"<br>"Yes, well, anyways, Elizabeth we won't keep you!" David interrupted, speaking quickly. " is on a _strict _schedule. Aren't you?"  
>"Mm? Oh. Riiight. Tight. Tighter than a nun's-"<p>

"Nice seeing you, Elizabeth! 'scuse us!"

David yanked Michael down the hallway, even as he flashed his charming smile her way and felt a wave of pride as he saw that familiar swooning look he so loved to see in the eyes of women. Birchmount, unfortunately, brought him quickly back down to Earth.

"I said _don't _draw attention to us! And _I'd_ do the talking!"  
>"Hey! Don't let me stop you, pal! Carry on."<br>David rolled his eyes and brought Michael Knight deeper into the building and finally inside the lab that he and Collins worked in.

A chill ran down his back as he checked his phone messages and found one asking him to report to 's office.

"You can't go! Not without back-up!" Knight countered.

David shook his head. "You're not even supposed to be here, . Just wait for me here and I'll try to make this short."  
>" might make it short for <em>you!"<em> Michael warned.

David only nodded, and left the intrepid agent from the Foundation alone in his laboratory.

David steeled himself with a calming breath outside the door to 's office and entered with a gentle knock. was beaming at him and seemed as relaxed as one would be on a day like today- Friday, before a long weekend.

"Oooh, Come on in, David, come in! Have a seat. I'll have Catherine bring us some coffee. Or tea if you prefer?"  
>"Coffee's fine," David replied, trying to act nonchalant, but all the time trying to read 's face.<p>

"Fine. I just wanted to get some feedback from you and Collins on your progress." He paused to check his watch and released a huffy chuckle. "But it seems is tardy this morning, once again. I'm not sure if he's seen my message to join our little meeting. Have you, er, seen him?"  
>David swallowed softly and replied honestly, "Not this morning. No, sir."<br>clicked his tongue several times and retained his light tone. "I abhor tardiness and a lack of dedication to one's craft, don't you, David? No matter. I'm sure you and I will have plenty to discuss."

"Yes, sir."  
>"So let's get started. What have you found? In your research?"<br>The near-predatory stare gave him was almost enough to break David's resolve to act like he didn't know what was up to, but he had to maintain a facade if Knight was going to do his part. David went on to discuss what he and Neil Collins worked on the day before, before the tragic kidnapping, but nothing that was discussed at his apartment. It was possible that didn't know what had happened to Collins in his own home, as next of kin would surely be contacted by the authorities first and not his boss, but if was behind the kidnapping, David didn't want his boss to know he was an eyewitness.

nodded attentively, waiting for David to slip up and mention some elment of his own hacked-in secret files data, but to Brchmount's credit, he never did, and kept it completely professional. Strange, considering one of his operatives indicated that Birchmount was at Collins's own home when they kidnapped him. Even when he mentioned an energy reading theory on neutrinos that was detailed in his secret files, could detect no recognition in David Birchmount';s features that would prove that he'd seen the major detail in his computer files.

It made it a risky chance to let it go, and not lock up Birchmount and question him, as he had , but Collins's unfortunate death was the only one he wanted to allow, at the moment.

"KITT; can you access these files if I activate their computers?" Knight asked into his wristwatch communicator.

"It might take several seconds, or several minutes, Michael, depending no the Institutes security protocols."  
>"Not a heckava lot to do around this lab for me as it is, buddy. Get to work, and gimme something interesting to read."<br>"I'll do my best, Michael," KITT replied.

From his location in the parking lot, he sent a signal through Michael's wristwatch/communicator, and sent alternating signals through it like a cyberspace locksmith, locating the correct set of numerals and letters and bits of data that were required to dig beyond the easily-accessed files. In less than a minute he had punctured 's computer walls, and was allowing Michael Knight access to the same disturbing files that David had viewed just the day before.

Draining the last of his coffee, sat back in his plush chair as David droned on about his own minor contribution to his neutrino project. Inwardly he was amused that Birchmount was clueless to the big picture, which was comparable to contributing the task of turning on the lab lights, while he, , activated and calibrated the neutrino device to perfection.

"Well, I want to thank you, David, for coming to my office on such short notice."  
>David shook his boss's hand, relieved the meeting was over. "No problem, sir. Always interested in doing my part, sir."<br>smiled a confident smile, until a flashing light on his computer terminal caught his attention. The big monitor faced him and wasn't visible to David, so he casually pressed a couple buttons and provided himself a hidden camera view of the Birchmount-Collins lab. He was surprised to find an unfamiliar man at the computer terminal, accessing his secret files! The man had thick brown hair, thick glasses, and a thick head if he thought he was going to get away with this! He'd planned the meeting, himself, and Birchmount had the audacity to turn it around on him, and use it to his own advantage!

Furious that Birchmount thought he could trick him with this diversion, while his secret partner accessed his personal research, the hand that had calmly shook David's hand now bunched up into a shivering fist. He struggled to regain his composure, as his voice quivered slightly when he spoke.

"Ah, waitaminute, David!" Birchmount visibly tensed as he held the door (and his escape route) open slightly, and turned around. "I just remembered something else I'd like to discuss. Sit. Please."

David did so, his knuckles turning white as he clutched his file folders in one hand. He needn't be a police psychologist to note the distinct difference in composure was now displaying, compared to just a few minutes ago. quickly typed in something into his terminal, and faced David, linking his fingers solemnly before him.

"Where is Collins?" he asked, bluntly.

David sighed and provided a fake smile as he shook his head. "Oh, I really, uh, don't know, sir! He's a young man, perhaps he had a date last night-"

"He was with you."

"Um. Doctor , I can assure you that I'm not interested in men-"  
>"I mean you two were at his apartment talking and <em>planning against me!<em> Isn't that right, Doctor Birchmount?!" a red-faced exclaimed, standing up, threateningly.

David mimicked his movement and stood up, taking a few steps back towards the door. "I really have no idea what you're getting at, sir, so perhaps I should just-"  
>"SIT! DOWN!" shouted, but David disobeyed him and spun around to leave, only to run into one of the thugs from last night just outside the hallway.<p>

It was like being held by a gorilla, as one powerful arm held him in a bear hug, and the other covered his mouth, preventing him from calling for help. The red-faced stalked him and rounded his desk, and knocked the wind and fight out of David with a quick punch in the gut. David struggled to regain his breath as the brute holding him prevented him from breathing through his mouth.

"You think you're so clever, David, but you're not! Your dumb-ass ally in the your lab tripped every security warning I have, and even as we speak some of my men are on their way to deal with him. He's single-handedly sealed your fates, and that of . You're all just too dangerous to allow to go free now."

When the doors to the lab burst inwards, Knight was expecting a panicky David Birchmount to be the cause, but when he spotted the two hulking grunts racing in instead of the smaller man, he knew the jig was up.

"Guess I won't be needing these," Knight mused, as he removed his fake glasses, and placed them casually inside his checker sports coat pocket.

A second later he was engaged in a brawl with the two WWF rejects, who had no regard whatsoever for the scientific equipment around them. Michael picked up a stool and smashed it against the first thug's side, but he only grunted and grinned at the impact. His meaty hand thrust out like a striking cobra, latched onto Michael's throat, picked him off the floor several inches and single-handedly threw him over the lab table to come crashing down hard in a jumble.

Knight fought against the numerous bumps and bruises that were fired up by spots of pain, and leaped over the table to kick the thug in the chest and knock him down. The second shoved his way forward, and took three clean punches to the jaw which would have dropped any other normal man. The man mountain only chuckled, planted his hand across Michael's face and pushed him back with the force of a kicking mule. Again, Knight crashed to the floor in a heap, and was about to launch a counter attack when the second thug snuck up behind him and smashed a fluid-filled beaker into the back of his head, knocking him out instantly.

The thugs chuckled between themselves and flexed their muscles at each other, one asking, "So, Craddock- what neutrino with you?"  
>The other brute returned the heavy chuckle and admired his own enhanced strength, replying, "Nothing much, Barton, what's, heh-heh, <em>neutrino <em>with you?!"

The floor was frustratingly-empty as far as David was concerned, seeing as there was no one around to help him. His heart raced and he panicked as he heard tell the big man to 'make it quick', which was followed by the unwelcomed sight of a hypodermic needle. Thrown into a nearby broom closet, David began to tell his attacker that was doing dangerous research and he shouldn't allow him to be forced to commit any further crimes, when he felt a sharp object penetrate his arm.

David gasped from shock and the intense pain, and felt his world turn on it's side. He lost all energy in his body and felt himself slump to the dirty floor, a quivering hand reaching up to gently rub his arm through his lab coat, the result of a savage stab from the hypodermic needle.

"Relax, buster. Just a little fast-actin' poison," his attacker smirked, slowly closing the door and leaving the queasy-feeling David locked inside the darkened closet. "It'll all be over in less than five minutes."

He couldn't believe this was how it was all going to end! Dying alone in a damned broom closet, the unlucky pawn in the mad scientist's scheme! He'd failed Collins, he'd failed Michael Knight...just like he'd failed his late, beloved wife, Laura, whom he'd tried to save after a tragic car crash, but could only re-live in his nigtmares her death in a burning car.

His mind and thoughts became blurry and unfocused as his life essence drained from him like a bathtub faucet, even as he saw a visage of his beautiful Laura, alive and well, and beckoning him to her. But she was gone! Dead for years! And he couldn't save her then, any more than he could save himself now! He was finally dying! How could this happen at so important a time? How?! _HOW?!_

"No..." he sighed

"No," he moaned, a little louder, his temper rising as he lost all feeling in his arms and legs.

"No!" he sneered, his teeth clenched, feeling an outrage build within him, as the meager light of the broom closet faded to complete darkness

"_NNNOOOOO!"_ he roared, hearing his own voice deepen and become a roar of something not quite human.

David felt his existence disappear even as that familiar, a ferocious energy from his heart that spread out and energized his entire body, and then the pain of his bones and muscles changing, stretching, becoming heavier. He wasn't aware of his body twitching and convulsing as the gamma energy negated the poison in his body, the white heat of his gamma-irradiated transformation all-encompassing his body, even as his shirt, lab coat and pants were torn to shreds, unable to contain the powerful being that rose to his huge green feet.

Seconds later, what climbed to his feet was once again, no longer David Birchmount, but the incredibly powerful, ferocious alter ego of the scientist, the jaded-skinned Hulk. The Hulk clenched his teeth and fought to understand what had happened and why he was seemingly trapped within this confined space. His animalistic, primitive nature directed his actions, and it was that directive that told him two things; 1) he did not like standing in the dark, and 2) he did not like confined spaces.

The door before him was suddenly pounded on from the other side and a deep voice growled with a hint of humor, "Hey, mister, just die already, okay? No use fightin' the poison I gave ya, so just kick the bucket and stop making noise! Nobody's around ta help ya!"

Not to mention, 3), the meager brain power of the Hulk's mind told him, that voice belonged to some puny human that had hurt him.

The brute on the other side of the door listened in, and wondered why the supposedly fasting-acting poison had provided was making the small guy grunt and growl, until the very same door exploded outwards in his face. He brought his arms up to protect himself from the chunks of door that were shattered before him, and he only caught the merest of glances at something big and green on the other side before a huge fist, with the power of a bulldozer behind it, smashed into his jaw and shattered it, sending the ruthless thug across the floor, into the far wall, and into a long and painful sleep.

Free from the dark box, the Hulk roared and clenched and unclenched his fists, daring anything or anyone else to challenge him. There was no one around, but there was light at the end of the hallway, and to the Hulk that meant outside and freedom. Despite his massive bulk, the green-skinned giant was fleet of foot and stomped quickly down the hallway. The angry green giant almost made it through to the exit, until he was stopped by the bumbling, overweight front security guard that looked so much like Arthur Carlson of _'WKRP In Cinncinnati'_.

He gaped up at the freakishly huge, caveman-like behemoth before him, wondering why he was having a nightmare if he was wide awake, and swallowed hard as the giant growled at him, and stared through his soul with those strange green eyes. The guard backed up, and waved the green giant through towards the door, which the Hulk took as acceptance of his power. And if the guard expected the green Goliath to use the bar across the door to unlock the door and push it open, he was sadly mistaken.

The calm, sunny morning on the outside of the Institute that was blessed with the sounds of cheerful bird song, was abruptly cut short as the Hulk smashed through both doors, sending them clattering and shattering fifteen feet into the sidewalk outside, scaring every bird nearby into a frantic panic. The Hulk leaped outside and glared at the few puny humans around him, and clenched and unclenched his fists in his form of a threat not to hurt or approach him, then he dashed off towards the rear of the building and the parking lot.

KITT wasn't programed with emotions, even though he could elicit different tones that sounded like concern or caution, which simulated human response. What could constitute 'worry' in humans, was a programmed timer in his computer chips that ran the gamut of being aware that Michael Knight was somewhat tardy with his check-in communique to level one alert that suggested he was delayed by some unforeseen reason to level five alpha, which was clear proof that he was in mortal danger of dying or being killed.

KITT was now at level one, having not heard from his driver since he gave a short report saying that he and Birchmount had successfully entered the laboratory area. So it was that KITT's scanners picked up an unusual sight dashing past him that drew his attention away from Michael's absence- namely the running form of what at first appeared to be an extremely muscular man, until he fine-tuned his instruments and discovered that it was the same green-skinned behemoth that he and Michael spotted the night before near Neil Collins's apartment.

"Michael! I've just had a second sighting of that strange green man! He's on the Institute grounds!" KITT's programming expected the usual 'Yea-right-buddy' reaction of a skeptical Michael Knight, but the communication channel remained strangely silent. "Michael? Are you reading me, Michael?"

KITT was about to activate himself and do a quick reconnaissance, until he realized that he couldn't home in on Michael's wristwatch communicator, which suggested it had been destroyed. He couldn't even pick up the fainest reading of its contents, so that seemed to indicate that Michael was either in great danger, or he was off the Institute grounds. The only question was, why would he leave without telling KITT? That, too, suggested that Michael was in danger, and quite possibly a prisoner.

He might have contacted Devon right there and then for instructions on what to do next, until a man in a badly-mismatched sports jacket and pants arrived on the scene, heading right for him. KITT was about to suspect that this man was a part of the Institutes criminal underlings, until he noticed the casual stroll towards him, and the appreciative smile on the haggard-looking man's face.  
>Reporter Jack McGee's eyes were caught by a glint of shiny black metal on the street, prompting him to offer an approving whistle. He sauntered up to the car and checked it out like a beautiful woman in bed. He was a car buff when he wasn't tracking down UFOs or the Hulk, and the newer Trans Am's on the streets these days met with his approval. He walked around to the front and stopped as he checked out the upper grill and its moving red light caught his attention.<p>

He shook his head, and smirked, mumbling to himself, "Crazy hot-rodders- always customizing perfectly good-looking cars!"

"I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult!" a voice responded from inside the car.

McGee held up his hands and moved towards the driver's side. "Hey, buddy, no offense intended, but your-" he said, stopping as he caught a glimpse of an elaborate dashboard until the windows became completely opaque. He chuckled and said, with a knock of his knuckles on the driver's side window, "Pretty fancy tinting feature there, mister. Probably cost a bundle to install."

"You don't know the half of it!" KITT answered.

"But, uh, why've you got a red light in the front? Red lights belong in the back, ya know?"

McGee interrupted himself and rolled his eyes as an elderly couple passed by and watched him suspiciously. Such a badly-dressed middle-aged man was surely not the owner of such a fancy car? He rapped his knuckles on the window again and with irritation entering his voice he said,

"Hey, pal, I feel ridiculous speaking to a car! Mind rolling down your window so we can talk face to face?"

"I prefer this method of communication- I don't exactly possess a 'face'."  
>McGee eyes bugged out wide and he held up his hands as if to express no harm. "Ooooh, sorry, mister, sorry! You a war vet? Iranian hostage, maybe? The window tinting makes sense now! I didn't mean to offend you."<br>"No offense taken. However, I should clarify-"  
>"No need, mister!" McGee said with a cringe. "I'm a reporter that likes to stick his nose into the unusual and the unexplained, but war injuries and mutilation is where I draw the line. Can't stand the sight of blood, see? If I cut myself shaving I actually have to lie down to recover from the trauma!"<br>"How unfortunate for you, you poor man!" KITT said, sincerely.

"Eh, yea. Poor me. Well...it's been nice...talking with you. Very cool car, you have there! Seeya 'round."  
>"Good-bye," KITT replied. "And thank you."<p>

McGee turned to leave and then his reporter's nose took over, forcing him to spin on his heel and take a long shot. "Hey, listen, buddy, I forgot to mention that I'm Jack McGee, a reporter for _The National Register_. I'm out here to track down any leads of a fugitive from the law."  
>"Interesting. Michael and I are in the law enforcement field. Perhaps we can be of help. Describe your fugitive."<p>

This was where McGee was used to people walking away, slamming doors in his face, pushing him out a door back into the street..._'Here goes!'_ he thought to himself lamely.

"Seven feet tall-"  
>"Seven feet tall," KITT repeated, accessing his criminal records behind his tinted windows.<p>

"Over 500 pounds-"  
>"Over 500 pounds," KITT repeated.<p>

"Extremely muscular, shaggy hair-"

"Extremely muscular, shaggy hair," KITT repeated, as images of known felons and criminals raced by his monitor screens.

"And with...green skin."  
>"Green-" KITT began, only to stop himself. "Excuse me, , but did you just say 'green skin'?!"<p>

McGee nodded. "I know, I know, it's sounds ludicrous. But the man I'm describing is hardly a man. He's a monster in humanoid form as a result of, I don't know, an accident or experiment or something, and he has green skin and hair. He's called 'The Hulk', and he's wanted for the alleged murder of Doctor David Banner some years ago."

"Really, !" KITT berated. "Does he also have a spaceship to land in corn fields? Or does he have antennae for communicating with animals?"  
>McGee winced and made a sour face, recognizing a dead end when he saw one. "Ferget it. Seeya."<br>KITT's wandering red sensor eye swished back and forth, following the man calling himself 'Jack McGee', and accessed his programming on what to do next. He was programmed to protect human life, and this strange green-skinned man or monster had made two appearances already within a 24 hour period. Without data on this 'Jack McGee' he was in no way obligated to involve him in the Foundation's investigation of the Maxima Institute, but the sheer fact that McGee and this Hulk creature showed up at the Institute at the same time warranted his own investigation.

KITT accessed police records and cross-referenced with the names 'Jack McGee', _'The National Register'_, and 'The Hulk', only to come up with some startling information.

Michael and Bonnie found themselves tied up, restrained by leather straps, actually, on a wide table with an ominous machine pointing down at them. Michael gradually became alert as her voice fought to pierce his unconsciousness and help them escape. When he saw the machine above him and found himself practically immobile, Knight was angry but elated at the same time.

"Bonnie! Thank God you're okay!"

"But for how long, ?" Doctor asked, coming into view and leaning over both of his victims. "Which one will be my test subject for my enhanced neutrino beam?"  
>"Why're you doing this?! Why add murder to your list of crimes?" Bonnie asked.<p>

winced and frowned, standing up straight. "I'm already a murderer. One...or two more...will hardly matter. All I'm concerned about is the success of my research. But before I select one or both of you-"  
>"Use me! Let her go!" Knight shouted.<p>

"Michael! No!"

"You hear me, ?! Let her go and you can do what ever you want with me!"  
>"Michael, this is no time to be a martyr!" Bonnie berated.<p>

"First, I would like to know the status of the authority's knowledge of my neutrino research. And what part Neil Collins and David Birchmount played in your little spy network?"  
>"Neither one works for us!" Michael snapped.<p>

"I've never even met either one while I worked here!" Bonnie added.

nodded calmly, then became red-faced and hostile, grabbing Bonnie roughly by the chin and stared down at her with murderous wide-eyed rage. "_I've told you not to lie to me! _I would think that the threat of feeling your body change from my neutrino pulse would be sufficient incentive to be honest with me!"  
>"We're telling you the truth, you idiot!" Knight complained. "If either one is involved it was by sheer dumb luck!"<p>

Outside the Institute's grounds the Hulk was wandering near the loading dock, his rage quickly subsiding. With no enemy or threat near him, he found his instincts dull and become confused, even as a soothing calm overcame him, before an all-encompassing feeling of tiredness forced him to sit down. The sun was blazing in the sky and birds in trees had returned to chirp happily, the nasty puny human on the other side of the closet door a fading memory.

The Hulk decided to rest and sat down on top of a crate, and wasn't even bothered as his massive weight made it creak and sink a couple inches. Anyone observing him would have seen, even in the morning daylight, a strange green glow envelope his form from his head to his big feet. The green giant felt exhausted and welcomed the warm glow and fading view of outside. His hair began to lose it's green tint and become dark and wavy with hints of gray, while his bare arms felt less heavy and hard to hold up to become normal for a man in his late forties.

David gradually became aware of his surroundings, as if merging a dream and real life, and took several refreshing breaths and rubbed his itchy eyes that still retained their glowing green hue. He blinked several times in the bright sunshine outside, the green fading to nothing, returning his natural eye color of brown to his features. He looked around and recognized the rear area of the Institute. He struggled at first to recall what had happened, what had obviously caused a transformation into the Hulk, and then it came to him.

and his friend had tried to murder him! Poison him! And if didn't trust David Birchmount, then what would happen to Michael Knight if he was found in his lab?

David dashed off the smooshed crate and up the stairs into the loading dock to re-enter the building and find his way, undetected hopefully, back to his labs.

Michael was getting more and more concerned as the neutrino machine began to reverberate and click and bleep as it became fully functional. Above their heads. Bonnie whispered to him to get KITT to help them, but Michael answered,

"Unfortunately, I don't even have my communicator on me!"

returned to their table and looked down at both and eyed both of them. "Well. Who to select as my guinea pig?"  
>"Don't make a game of it, you creep! I told you, ! It's me! Leave her out of this!"<p>

"Oooh, no, ! It was 's unfortunate interloping in the first place that brought us all here today! I have a personal grudge to fulfil here and now."  
>"Then get on with it, you sadistic-"<br>"All in good time, !" assured with a growl. "All in good time."

David had made it surprisingly far without being noticed, and quickly swung open the office door of a fellow researcher to find she wasn't in. Luckily, her white lab coat was hung up on a coat stand, so he quickly threw it on, buttoning it as high as possible to cover up his bare chest. Usually, he was lucky enough to find shoes that fit him, even temporarily, but all he saw on the floor were three pairs of high heels. Despite the predicament he and Knight found themselves in, he found time to consider donning them for about 1.04 seconds, before shaking his head with a silly smirk and returned to the hallway.

He nodded at a pair of co-workers, but luckily they were too engrossed in their own conversation to do more than return the nod and ignore his lack of footwear. Down the hallway that led towards his lab, he could hear a pair of voices in conversation, one of which made his blood turn to ice.

"I appreciate you showing me around the place, Miss Summers. Any lead I can find I'll gladly take and will offer the usual reward of $25,000 leading to the capture of the Hulk."  
><em>McGee!<em> David's mind screamed at him, as he spun on his bare heel and went back the way he came. What the hell was he doing here so soon?! He'd only changed into the Hulk last night for the first time in weeks! McGee must have already been in Phoenix or nearby!

"I find your stories very interesting, ," Elizabeth Summers, the grad student Michael Knight had chatted up earlier, told the reporter as she guided him through the Institute. "If he actually exists, I'm sure it was the result of some experiment gone awry."  
>David was in a panic as he found door after door locked to him! He had only seconds before he was discovered down the hallway, and if McGee saw his face, his life on the run was officially over. No more David Birchmount, David Benton, David Banks- McGee would know David Banner was alive and well and the man that transformed into the Hulk.<p>

David found himself outside of the neutrino machine lab, which was locked, too, but the humming machine inside merged with the echoing of McGee and Summers's footsteps. Then David saw a familiar pair tied down on a table with the neutrino machine aimed right at them- Michael Knight and his female associate! He struggled to open the locked door and pounded on it a couple times to draw the attention of away from his two prisoners, but it was all for naught! was ready to energize his emitter and fire it down onto Knight, the woman, or both!

A panicked outrage coursed through his body at the same time as an overwhelming fear of being seen by McGee merged and threw his mind into an uncontrolled jumble. His eyes suddenly turned green and David found it harder to concentrate beyond his own primitive instinct of fear and rage. Realizing that he was turning into the Hulk again only drove up that panic and accelerated his transformation.

"Now, down here is Doctor 's lab and offices-" Summers was saying, until her voice was caught in her throat at the unexpected sight before her and McGee.

_"The Hulk!"_ the reporter exclaimed, astounded to find his nemesis standings just ten yards away.

The green giant roared defiantly at him, as if to warn them not to stop him, before he used both powerful arms to smash down the door to 's lab, and shock the three occupants like never before. The Hulk stalked inwards, eying the three people suspiciously, an instinct telling him that the two puny people being held down were in trouble, so he tore their straps off absent-mindedly as easily as one tore a strip of toilet paper off a roll.

Then he beheld .

Something in the dark recedes of his mind told him that here was the bad man behind his prior attacks, but most surprisingly, he wasn't afraid of the Hulk. Instead, he was angry, defiant, and walked up to the towering green giant before him. He looked the Hulk up and down, examining his mutated form in ways he used to examine his lab rats.

"Is it you?" challenged. "Birchmount? Are you in there?"

The Hulk's head tilted at the familiar sound of the word 'Birchmount', but his mind couldn't make the connection that it was his alter-ego's latest identity. It just sounded like something he should know. He growled a predatory warning down at who was standing too close to him, observed from the broken doorway by McGee and Summers.

"Don't you dare growl at me, Birchmount! Change back this instant!" he commanded, suddenly removing a pistol from his lab coat and pointing it directly at Michael Knight who was free and trying to release Bonnie. "Otherwise, one or both of your friends gets a hole in the-"

The Hulk recognized the small object as something dangerous, that could hurt him or others, so he lashed out like a venomous snake, grabbing 's arm with one meaty hand and threw him across the room onto the examination table. cried out in shock, and did a cartwheel in the air, his feet and body slamming into his own neutrino beam device.

Already locked and loaded, the beam suddenly came on and struck the form of as Michael yanked Bonnie off of his side of the table. cried out in shock and not a little pain as the uncontrolled energies of his research rained down upon him. His own rage and terror made him twist and convulse as the beam shattered and changed his cellular structure, until all he could feel was anger...

...and power.

Not one person in a ten million could have survived the gamma ray dosage that David Banner had transmitted into himself that day, many years ago.

And as the late Neil Collins proved, not everyone could withstand the neutrino beams.

Doctor Lawrence could.

Like David Banner, was unaware that he, himself, would be able to survive the neutrino radiation shower, and in turn, black out as his body was reformed and restructured into something huge, powerful, and primitive.

"Oh...my...God!" McGee gasped. "_Now there are two of them! Two Hulks!"_

The green-skinned Hulk that was David Birchmount watched as the small man became a much bigger person, his clothing stretching, tears to shreds, and become as muscular as he was, but this one seemed to have blueish-hued skin. The blue Hulk was just as muscular and tall as the green Hulk, and blinked his blue-glowing eyes rapidly as he fought to understand where he was and who these puny humans around him were.

Then he beheld the green Hulk.

Something told him that this reflection of him was dangerous and deserved to die. It had hurt him, so he would hurt it back!

Michael didn't need to be told twice that a battle zone had just been created, so he pushed Bonnie towards the door, right into McGee and Summers.

"No! I can't leave! I've got to see-"

"Read it in tomorrow's newspaper, buster!" Knight warned. "I'm trying to save your life!"

The Hulks stalked one another, each trading threatening roars, and displays of their powerful arms. When the blue Hulk wouldn't back down, the Hulk threw a clenched fist into his chest, only to watch as the blue Hulk took the blow, and staggered back only a couple inches. The blue Hulk virtually smiled, and lashed out with both arms, shoving the Hulk back ten feet and onto 's desk, which collapsed under his massive weight.

The Hulk was confused for a few seconds, as nothing was ever stronger than him, but his rage at being attacked overcame his confusion and he stomped towards the blue Hulk with his arms held high so as to smash his fists down onto the blue copy of him. The blue Hulk saw an opening, grabbed the Hulk by the waist, and tossed him into the humming neutrino beam machine, causing it to explode in fireworks as it was smashed apart and shut down.

As the dizzy Hulk struggled to stand, he felt a painful blow rain down on his forehead, as the blue Hulk pile drove his fist into his nemesis. Seeing his foe staggered by his power, the blue Hulk threw down another blow and another and another, until he drew green blood from the Hulk's over sized brow.

The thing about the Hulk was that nothing had ever hurt him like this, not even that tall, skinny version of himself he seemed to recall, and with that realization that he was being hurt, came an unstoppable rage and indignation.

And with the rage came more power for the Hulk.

For the question wasn't 'How strong is the Hulk?', but rather 'How strong does the Hulk have to be?'

The Hulk jumped to his feet and released a wailing roar of a kind that he had rarely uttered. The blue Hulk was momentarily unsettled, seemingly awakening a sleeping giant, until he, too, rose to the challenge and threw a fist into the green Goliath's face. Except, that lightning reflexes brought the Hulk's hand up in time to catch the blue fist like a baseball. The blue Hulk gasped in surprise at the unexpected turn of events, and roared back defiantly, until the Hulk squeezed that same fist. The blue Hulk cried out in pain and even fell to one knee as his hand was slowly crushed by the green-skinned giant.

The blue Hulk jabbed his free hand into the Hulk's belly several times in the hopes of gaining release, only it was like punching steel. The Hulk's free hand jumped out and latched onto the throat of the blue Hulk, and lifted the blue monster up off the floor. With a tremendous toss, the blue Hulk found himself flying through the air and smashing through the window to land painfully on the sidewalk outside.

"Michael!" KITT uttered, a hundred yards away, as the sounds of destruction were calculated as a danger to his driver. The car activated his power cells and started up his engine, quickly backing out of the parking spot, and racing off towards the sounds of the commotion, which seemingly included wild animals.

The Hulk leaped out of the window to challenge the blue Hulk, who now didn't want anything to do with him, smashing his fists into the Hulk's chest and nearly knocking him down. The two latched onto each other in a wrestler's hold, each grabbing and squeezing the other's neck and shoulders, the four large over-sized feet digging indentations into the concrete.

KITT rounded the corner and watched the spectacle, just as Michael, Bonnie, McGee, and Summers rounded the other corner of the building.

"KITT! Over here! Pick us up, buddy!"

McGee didn't know where to look, as the car he'd admired earlier, swung around the battling monsters, did a 180 and flipped open both doors, momentarily displaying his interior which was devoid of a driver, since the tall guy with the curly hair launched himself into the driver's seat and the woman beside him.

"Watch out!" Elizabeth shouted, pulling McGee's checkered jacket backwards to avoid a flying chunk of tree that the blue Hulk had launched at McGee's green quarry.

The Hulk charged the blue Hulk, who jumped out of the way, forcing the green giant to land awkwardly across the front hood of KITT. Michael and Bonnie stared in surprise as the big green man used impossibly-powerful arms to push himself back up, which actually forced KITT down several inches as his suspension was tested. He roared at Knight, turned around and was clobbered by a running dive by the blue Hulk. The two gigantic men sprawled and rolled across KITT's front hood and window, and only the molecular-bounding of KITT's shell prevented the car from being squashed under the weight of the battling brutes.

Almost.

The blue Hulk had the Hulk pinned to the hood and rained down punches onto the green-tinted monster's chest, then one towards his face. The Hulk rolled over to avoid the strike, but KITT's windshield took the brunt of the hit, actually chipping the nearly-indestructible windshield and causing a couple small cracks to form!

"That's impossible!" Bonnie gasped.

"Michael! I suggest we retreat to prevent a repeat of-!"

"Way ahead of ya, buddy!" Knight shouted, as he floored his car in reverse fifty feet, using centrifugal force to make both of the powerful combatants to roll off the hood and fall to the parking lot concrete, cracking it as well from the impact.

The two Hulks rolled around the ground, trading blows and both trying to gain the edge over the other, but they were too closely matched. Call it craziness or bravery or sheer idiocy, but Jack McGee saw an opportunity like none before. Two Hulks wrestled before him, and although it seemed likely that he'd only ever been chasing the green Hulk, who was to say he hadn't followed the trail of the blue Hulk as well? There had been many night time incidents where observers could have mistaken the green skin for blue in bad light, but it was the green one that meant the most to him, as he'd only ever been in the presence of that one. As such, it was the key to all further sightings and the goal of his career to expose.

Summers called out a warning for him to stop, but McGee went ahead with his crazy plan, and smashed a decorative rock from the edge of the lawn onto the blue Hulk's skull. It cracked in two like a hunk of stale cheese.

The rock that is.

Distracted by this puny human, the blue Hulk forgot his downed enemy, and stood up tall and threatening above the quivering Jack McGee who saw his life flash before his eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly as the blue Hulk's arms rose up and come down on him like the force of a pair of wrecking balls.

However, a loud screeching of spinning tires and a sudden, "WHOOMF!', prompted him to open one teary eye. Knight had used his car as a battering ram, and smashed the blue Hulk several yards away, saving his life. Knight backed up, shocked as the blue Hulk staggered to his feet and glared at him and KITT as if he'd been bumped into by a puppy.

"What is that monstrosity made if?!" KITT wondered.

"Equal doses of hatred and neutrino radiation, pal!" Knight answered.

The blue Hulk stomped towards them, the seconds ticking by so whatever obvious injuries he'd sustained were inexplicably receding and heeling. The blue Hulk was only a few yards away from KITT when Knight was switching gears to back up, only to be distracted by the powerful rumbling and shaking of his car as something ran up from behind it, across the rear windshield, over the T-top, and onto the engine hood, where it launched itself at the blue Hulk! The green-skinned monster had recovered from his own injuries and tackled the blue-skinned monster, driving him several inches into the sidewalk concrete again.

This time his blows connected and the blue Hulk began to struggle and throw back weakening blows. The Hulk was about to deal the deathblow when something stopped him. Whatever he was, he was no killer, and despite the injuries this blue-skinned copy of him had given him, he had proven himself the stronger of the two. The strange blue glow that emanated from the flesh of the monster also made his animal instinct back away in confusion.

He watched as he stood before his nemesis as the blue giant glowed even bluer than before, giving off a faint blue halo around his shape, his rage and energy completely gone. The muscles and Neanderthal-like heavy brow of the blue Hulk receded and shrunk, reforming back into the identity of .Clair. McGee was shocked as Summers identified her boss and the leader of the Institute, then watched with horror as the transformation didn't stop there.

The human features of lost more and more musculature, but retained their blueish tint, as his flesh receded more and more. leaving the skeletal; frame of the scientist laying there, until even that faded to nothing but blue-tinted bones. Bonnie covered her eyes, unable to believe the fate of the nasty excuse for a human being like . Michael watched as the green giant looked around to take in his surroundings and ascertain if there were any other enemies to deal with, now that the blue double of himself was dead.

The Hulk sneered a warning at McGee, who took a few cautious steps towards him, then backed up as if to assure his nemesis that he wasn't about to be a threat.

KITT's engine roared as the computerized car watched the Hulk take a step towards McGee, in an attempt to draw his attention aware from the quivering reporter. Programmed to protect human life, KITT launched himself at the green monster, as Summers grabbed McGee again and tried to force him to run away. Instead, she only succeeded in sending both to the concrete and bumping their heads against concrete parking spot pillars, disorienting both, and preventing both from watching as KITT tried to ram the green Hulk as he'd done before with the blue monster.

The Hulk was ready for the car, however.

Michael and Bonnie felt centrifugal force throw them forwards as the Trans Am came to a sudden, abrupt halt as the Hulk stopped it with two impossibly-powerful outstretched arms. This confused KITT's programming, prompting him to plan a retreat course, except that the Hulk had already begun to lift his front end up and off the ground.

"Michael! He's lifting up KITT!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"Thanks alot, Captain Obvious!" Michael shouted back to her, as they tilted back farther and farther, as if they were about to be launched in the space shuttle! Fearing that the Hulk was going to flip them over onto KITT's T-top, Michael shouted, "KITT! Turbo-boost us outta here!"  
>"Michael, that goes against my programming! I could kill the Hulk by doing that!" KITT countered, his programming allowing enough of an inflection to mimic 'panic'.<p>

"Then the laser! Target his-"  
>"At this close range that would kill him, too, Michael!" Bonnie shouted, the words streaming out so fast they sounded like one word.<p>

"Then I'm open to suggestions!" Knight shouted back to both as the car was shaken and held up by the Hulk who roared at it and then began to squeeze inwards.

"Michael! My outer sensors are registering incredible pressure! I'm not sure my molecular bounding will protect us, or if that misshapen monster will actually succeed in crushing my front end!"  
>And then something strange happened.<p>

The Hulk's attention was gradually drawn away from the people in the car, from the car that had tried to attack him, even from the fading memories of McGee and the blue Hulk, to be replaced solely by the flashing, side-to-side red light of KITT's main sensor emitter. He found that it was interesting and almost hypnotic, and not at all threatening. Coupled with the soft 'whoo-whoo' of the emitter sliding back and forth, the Hulk felt his attention drawn into the red light. He blinked and found that he wanted to keep looking at the soothing red light. Back and forth the light travelled across his green features, until he felt completely at peace.

He also felt weaker.

The car became heavier and heavier for the Hulk as his strength left him, and was replaced by an acceptance that he was safe. Suddenly, he let go of the car as he could no longer hold it, but fortunately KITT's suspension protected his occupants from suffering whiplash at the sudden dropping, and a clear view of the Hulk staring down at the red light of the sensor.

"He's hypnotized by it! Mesmerized!" Michael noted with a shocked whisper.

"And look! He's glowing!"

Michael Knight feared that he was about to witness the same gruesome transformation into a corpse as had suffered, but instead the Hulk shrank and reformed into the human form of David Birchmount. He felt to one knee, his eyes still glowing green as Michael exited the car.

"Be careful, Michael! He might change again!" KITT warned.

"Something tells me that won't happen again, pal," Knight replied, cautiously exiting his super car. "You all right? You cool now?"  
>David looked up at the sound of a familiar voice, his eyes and body back to normal, as he looked around. His heart began to race as he spotted Jack McGee and Elizabeth Summers slowly coming around from injuries they'd sustained from...what? David looked at Knight, his black Trans Am car, and hastily got to his feet.<p>

"I, uh, can't be here when he comes to!" David said, with imploring eyes.

Knight took in all the events and ran with his gut instinct. "Get in!"

As McGee finally found the power to regain his orientation, he could only ask himself answer-less questions as that black car raced off, leaving him alone with a woozy female grad student and the bones of a monster for company.

It was the next day, and David found himself safely on his way to California aboard the Foundation's big rig, now that Michael and KITT's mission was completed. Bonnie was with them, bent over the open engine hood of KITT, as Devon made his presence known through a television screen, where he was seen sitting behind his desk back at the Foundation's mansion.

"Needless to say we can't thank you enough, Doctor Birchmount," Devon was saying, as Michael nodded an agreement. "Who knows what would have happened to Michael and or Bonnie had you not intervened."

David gave Knight an awkward smile and a nod, as the two shared a secret between themselves, namely the uncanny transformation of Birchmount into the Hulk. Bonnie and KITT were also sworn to secrecy, as the fewer individuals that knew the truth the better. Besides, Devon was so prim and proper he wouldn't have believed it for a second. Instead, he was under the impression that Birchmount, as himself, broke into the lab, a struggle ensued, and died from his own neutrino beam- which wasn't too far from the truth.

"You're welcome, . Glad to help. It's just too bad that I'm out of a job, now that is dead, and his Institute shut down."  
>"Won't they keep up their research?" Knight asked.<p>

"Not along 's lines, Michael," Devon answered. "I'm pulling some strings and I'm going to see if they can't be persuaded to do something beneficial to the average person, such as cancer research. And yet, you feel you must move on, ? Surely you'd prefer to remain employed and perhaps even take over the Institute?"  
>David shook his head, images of a determined Jack McGee staying behind for a week to track down sightings of the Hulk entering his mind. No, the further he was away from his one-man pest the better.<p>

"Thank you, , but it's time for me to move on. Perhaps catch up on old times with some friends."  
>"Well, the least we can do is offer you a reward. Michael, you'll do the honors, won't you? Farewell, . If you ever need help again, don't hesitate to contact the Foundation."<br>"Thank you, Mr,.Miles."

And with that, Devon's image disappeared, and Michael produced a thick envelope from his back pocket, and slapped it into David's hand. "Courtesy of the Foundation, David. Actually, Uncle Sam, but what the heck? Both sides owe you alot."  
>David suspected what was in the envelope, opened it up, gasped, and folded it back up, proffering it to Michael who held his hands up as if he didn't want to touch it. "No, no, no, I can't," David said, modestly.<p>

"Just take the money and run, David. Literally."  
>David took a peak in the envelope and shook his head, even more determined to reject the charity. "Look, I just can't-"<br>"You can and you will!" Knight insisted, snatching the envelope, folding it, and shoving it into David's shirt pocket.

He rolled his eyes and felt his face blush from embarrassment as he reluctantly accepted the gift. David was notorious for never accepting money or gifts from the people he met along his travels, and very few succeeded in changing his mind. Of course, the prospect of once again roaming the country in search of a job, a home, and a cure could sometimes outweigh the embarrassment of a reward.

"How much is in there?" David asked, his voice a mixture of defeat and, strangely enough, dread.

"If you have to ask, then it's more than you expected," Michael smiled and smacked David on the shoulder. He gasped and patted David's shoulder and pretended to panic.

"Sorry, David, sorysorrysorry! Don't freak out! Don't get mad!"  
>David chuckled at the bad acting and asked, "So you really didn't like me when I was angry?"<br>"Uuhh...no."  
>"And neither did I. Not that anyone cares," KITT commented. "I've never been dropped like a sack of potatoes before! In fact, I've never been picked up like that before, period!"<br>"Well, I care, KITT!" Bonnie assured, patting his radiator.

"Sorry about that, ; I'll try to be gentle next time. Or the Hulk will be."  
>"And that's another thing- would someone <em>please<em> inform that my name is not 'Mister Kitt'. It's just 'KITT'. I don't exactly have pointed ears and green blood!"

"My apologies, KITT!" David grinned, bowing his head at the car.

Bonnie slammed the engine hood shut and proclaimed, "Good as new. Just a few adjustments tro make after your run-in with the Hulk, KITT, but your molecular bonding held tight when he wanted to squeeze you, _and us,_ like a lemon!"

"That's a load off my mind," KITT responded.

David shook his head, and felt a chuckle leave his throat as he said, "He's quite a car, isn't he? You know, he's actually more human than some of my old professors back at M.I.T.!"

David said good-bye to Bonnie, and got into the passenger side of KITT, as Michael took the driver's seat and turned KITT's engine on. Half a minute later, the rear door of the truck was opened up and Michael Knight expertly piloted the supercar backwards and out onto the evening, and did a 180 as they drove down a highway away from the truck.  
>"The offer still stands, you know," Knight assured. "Anytime you ever want to contact the Foundation, just ask."<br>"Thank you, Michael, I might do that some day. I just wish the Foundation was more biology-related regarding its science, rather than technology and weapons."  
>"And mouthy cars!" Michael joked.<p>

"To say nothing of reckless drivers with a new lady every week!" KITT responded.

"Hey-hey-hey!" Knight tutted, his tone unreadable by David- was he insulted and embarrassed in front of him, or was he annoyed a little secret was revealed to a stranger.

In any event, Michael found a section of Los Angeles that David could be dropped off at, as there were several restaurants and a hotel nearby, as he went on his way and re-started his life. David shook his hand and said,

"Thank you for everything, Michael. And you, too...KITT!"

"You're welcome, pal. And take care of that jacket! You look pretty cool in it!"

David only nodded lamely, since the leather jacket was so out of character for him that it literally hung off him like a coat hanger. He opened the door, stepped out, and pulled out his travel bag from the rear seat. Truth be told he felt pretty silly in a leather jacket- they were more suited to younger men, like Michael Knight, or bikers and such, but it was a gift he couldn't refuse.

"Bye-bye!" David nodded, and closed the door.

"Well, pal- what's next?" Michael wondered, addressing KITT.

"We're only 12.4 miles from the mansion, and I'm sure Devon is expecting you to file your report."  
>"In triplicate, I know, I know," Michael groaned.<p>

"And without so many spelling and grammatical errors this time. I continually offer you help!"  
>"Yea, and that's a problem! So which way to the mansion?"<br>"Three blocks east and then-"  
>"Uuhhh, no. No. I'm sure it's back that way. I'm sure we've passed it."<br>"Michael, really!" KITT chided. "If you can't trust my directional sensors-"

"I've got my own directional sensors, pal, and they say we have to back up and-"  
>Michael did so, but wasn't watching where he was going, nor was David, who had paused to get his bearings. When he turned around to cross the street, he had only one foot on the road when a big black object entered his peripheral vision, making him lean back in time to avoid being struck, but not quick enough to lift his foot in time.<p>

KITT, or rather, Michael, backed up and drove over David's foot.

The scientist gasped and fell to one knee as he clutched his injured foot, at the same time as Michael leaped out of KITT. He thought he'd run over something or someone and was both relieved but also incredibly embarrassed that it was David!

"Oh, man, sorry, David! Are you all ri-?" he began to apologize until something made him stop...

David was hulking out!

Unable to control the intense pain and shock of his broken toe, his eyes began to glow green, his teeth clenched in pain and transformation, and his skin began to take on a greenish hue, while his shirt and his new leather jacket, both too small to contain the monster beneath them, were torn from the strain and powerful muscles of the Hulk as he began to take final form.

"Heyyy! That was my favorite leather jacket!" Michael complained, until realization dawned on him. The Hulk didn't always know who the good guys and who the bad guys were! And he'd run over the 'Hulk's' foot! He dashed back into KITT and bellowed,

"KITT! Is your turbo-boost functional!"  
>"It is, Michael," the car replied, calmly.<p>

"Then hit it, buddy, and don't spare the nuclear fuel! Let's get the heck outta here!"


End file.
